In observance of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Department of Science and Technology IX (DOST) has chosen to do more than just fly a color.

Led by the department's DOST-IX Gender And Development (GAD) Focal Point System, the agency has began to get the word out and push back against the disease through a campaign using today's most powerful information channel - social media.

Aside from wearing pink on all Fridays of October, the department has committed to the release of info graphics about risk factors, signs, symptoms, and other helpful details about the disease - one for each Friday of the month.

As of 2013, The Department of Health has recorded a total of 6,938 mortalities in the Philippines, with 164 of the said cases coming from the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The data gathered also shows that even those ranging from 15-19 years of age may be affected, albeit only on the rarest of instances. The increase of age however, shows a proportional increase in mortality; the older a person is, the greater the person's risk of the disease.

Regardless of a person's age, getting a head start on a life-threatening disease through information and awareness is always most welcome. DOST believes that taking steps toward prevention and early detection are steps better taken than those in search for a cure. (Bon Padayhag, DOST IX Press Release)